A New Leaf

In 2018, marijuana is getting the rebrand it never asked for: from controlled substance to lifestyle product. Weed is riding high—and that’s a very good* thing.

Brennan Kilbane

Legally, as a New Yorker, I’d prefer not to discuss my own experiences with cannabis products. I should not say with certainty whether they make for the perfect activity on a sunshiny Saturday afternoon, stretched out on a blanket in the park, wrapped in sunlight. What I can say is what everybody else has already been saying, which is that we’ve come a long way since terms like “devil’s lettuce” and films like Reefer Madness. As the United States moves toward more widespread legalization of cannabis for recreational use, the booming wellness economy—a natural by-product of decriminalization—is reinventing the public perception of marijuana, complete with Instagram-friendly smoking accessories and millennial-fluent marketing teams. But beyond its moneymaking potential, marijuana also has a host of curative properties that Americans are beginning to discover: for the treatment of eczema, for the alleviation of opioid withdrawal symptoms, for the best sex of your life, for sore joints and anxiety, and yes, for a hypothetically glorious way to spend an afternoon. Allow us to reintroduce you to marijuana, the 21st-century cure-all. Please enjoy responsibly.

*GOOD SKIN

Am I stoned? I wondered recently when a dermatologist told me CBD—short for cannabidiol, the nonpsychoactive (so legal everywhere) cannabis derivative—could shape up to be the next skin-care panacea.&nbs